International Film Festival in India with a Focus on Hungary
zita kisgergely
The seventh edition of the Habitat International Film Festival opens in New Delhi March 13th with Hungary as its country of focus.
From across 18 countries, the festival will screen 67 films–recent, award-winning features from the international circuit as well as classics of world cinema.
Hungary is being given prominence at this year’s festival, honouring the country’s 130-year history of filmmaking. Aptly, a documentary that symbolically links Hungarian-Indian culture will open the festival: Shankar Khan’s MANCH. The film recounts a theatre workshop where children from Delhi’s MIMA NGO adapted Hungarian folk tales into performances for the stage in Hindi.
In total, an impressive 21 films from Hungary will be screened–11 contemporary features as well as 10 cinema classics. Not surprisingly, two of the country’s legendary directors will be featured in the process, István Szabó and Zoltán Fábri.
Szabó’s MEPHISTO, the film which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1982, will be screened as well as Fábri’s THE FIFTH SEAL and THE BOYS OF PAUL STREET (nominated for an Academy Award in 1969). Thematically, the films explore the trauma of war or revolution, authoritarianism, national identity and ethical dilemmas.
Other contemporary Hungarian films on show include SEMMELWEIS, I ACCIDENTALLY WROTE A BOOK, ORPHAN and PELIKAN BLUE.
Image via Imdb
Beyond Hungary, the festival will also mark 100 years since the birth of legendary Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda, born March 6th, 1926. Wajda was a renowned film and theatre director whose works detailing Poland’s political and social landscape allowed him to explore myths of Polish national identity. HIFF will screen a six-film retrospective honouring the director and his contribution to cinema.
Additionally, the festival will also feature some of the most celebrated international films of the season including the Cannes 2025 Palme d’Or winner IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT and Cannes Jury Prize 2025 winners SIRAT and THE SOUND OF FALLING.
Image via Imdb
As reported in the Newsdrum, the Creative Head - Programmes, Vidyun Singh, said of the festival’s offerings:
“This curated selection brings together a vibrant constellation of contemporary voices alongside timeless international classics… Together, this selection invites the audience into a rich cinematic dialogue across cultures, reminding us that while stories emerge from specific soils, their emotional truths travel far beyond borders.”
The HIFF will take place from March 13th – 22nd.
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